Romance in Real Life: Guilin

Photo source: https://brideandbreakfast.hk/charming-countryside-couple-in-guilin/

11. Guilin, China

When I picture myself in Guilin, China, my heart races ahead of me, already wandering through romance before my feet ever touch the ground. As a hopeless romantic, I imagine beginning each day on the Li River, drifting slowly on a bamboo raft as the mist wraps around the karst mountains like a whispered promise. The peaks feel eternal, reflected perfectly in the water, and I can’t help but think that love, in a place like this, would feel just as timeless.

I see myself lingering in Yangshuo, strolling along West Street as red lanterns glow overhead and the evening hums with soft laughter and shared meals. Somewhere nearby, along the riverbanks, cormorant fishermen glide across the water at dusk, their silhouettes moving like poetry against the fading light. It feels like the kind of moment meant to be shared quietly, shoulder to shoulder, letting the beauty speak for us.

In my daydreams, romance hides in Guilin’s secrets too. I wander through the glowing chambers of Reed Flute Cave, where coloured lights dance across ancient stone, and every turn feels surreal, almost dreamlike. I imagine escaping to the Longji Rice Terraces, tracing winding paths through emerald fields, where the land itself seems shaped by patience and devotion.

As night settles, I picture walking slowly through the Two Rivers and Four Lakes Scenic Area, watching the city lights shimmer on the water. The reflection blurs sky and earth together, and beneath the moon near Elephant Trunk Hill, I feel that familiar ache in my chest; the one that only beautiful places awaken. Guilin, in my romantic imagination, isn’t just a destination. It’s a reminder that love doesn’t need grand gestures; sometimes it’s found drifting down a river, glowing under lantern light, quietly promising that magic still exists.